Saturday, November 13, 2010

Mulligatawny

There is so much great flavor in this soup! This is an Australian version of mulligatawny that I learned several years ago. The origins of mulligatawny go back to the British occupation of India. The original mulligatawny was a pepper broth soup with lentils and few spices. The recipe evolved into several mulligatawny varieties in later years. Curry spice mix and apples were added in some recipes. Lentils or chicken were in many recipes. This Aussie mulligatawny recipe uses lamb. The British do have an affinity for lamb. I've served this soup in many restaurants. The best mulligatawny clientele that I ever had was when I was a chef at an English Pub. This Aussie mulligatawny version was a smash hit! I had to make a double batch every time I put this soup on the special du jour board at that pub. The pub customers were mostly British, Irish and Australian. The aroma of the lamb in this soup was irresistible!Recipe: Saute a little bit each of chopped shallot, ginger and garlic in unsalted butter in a sauce pot over medium heat. Add a small handful each of these small diced vegetables: onion, celery, carrot, green bell pepper and red bell pepper. Add a fine chopped green onion. Saute and stir the vegetables till they become half way cooked. Sprinkle a little bit of flour in the pot while stirring to absorb the excess grease and to make a light pan roux to thicken the soup. Cook the flour and vegetables for a minute while stirring. Add some light chicken broth. Stir and bring the soup to a boil over medium high heat. Add some garam masala curry powder. Add a little bit of turmeric. Add sea salt and black pepper. Add a couple pinches of cumin and coriander. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Add some medium size diced peeled and seeded apple. Cut some very thin shaved slices of lean raw lamb leg. Chop the thin lamb slices into small bite size pieces. Add the lamb to the soup. (It is not necessary to saute the lamb first for this soup. The lamb flavor in this soup will be stronger if it is added to the boiling broth.) Simmer the soup over low heat for twenty minutes and stir occasionally. Just before serving, stir in a small dollop of plain yogurt. Ladle the soup into a soup bowl. Sprinkle some sliced green onion on the soup. Serve with some steamed white rice on the side. Apple is one of the traditional fruits that is used to sweeten a curry. The flavors of the soup broth are fantastic with the thin shaved lamb. The mirepoix of the chopped vegetables adds a gentle depth to the flavor. There should be a larger proportion of ingredients to the amount of broth in this soup, but not quite enough to put a stew label on this recipe. This is a fantastic soup! Yum! ... Shawna